A Collection of Short Stories
by Shadow's Vale
Summary: 100 theme challenge. See inside for more info. Will have Caroline in every story, but will also have a lot of Cave, as well as some GLaDOS, Chell, and Wheatley.
1. One

**AN: This is the 100 theme challenge given by Sora-Horsey on deviantart. Chloe Kompton on here is also doing this. Please check her's out as well.**

**You can check out the list of themes here:**

**http: / sora-horsey(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/NEW-100-Themes-Challenge-131213677**

**Now on with the challenge.**

...

**1. Mr. Mom**

"I'll be back this afternoon. You'll be fine."

Caroline placed a reassuring hand on her husbond's arm. Today was going to be the first time he would be taking care of the baby alone, and he was a nervous wreck. He had no idea what to do.

"Are you sure about this?" Cave asked, nervously.

Caroline nodded. "You'll do fine. If she starts to cry, check and see if she's wet or hungry. She's only three months old so there isn't much else she'll need. She'll most likely sleep for the most part while I'm gone."

Cave still looked nervous. Caroline gave him a gentle kiss. "Relax."

Cave half-laughed. "Easy for you to say."

Caroline smiled. "I'll be back later. I love you."

Cave smiled back. "I love you too."

With that, Caroline was out the door.

Now that he was alone, Cave was trying to figure out what to do next.

_Well, the baby is asleep, so I guess I could watch a little T.V. Just have to remember not to turn it up too loud._

He walked over to the couch and picked up the remote. He pushed the power button and began to surf through channels.

_Boring. Boring. See that. Eww?. See that. Not interested...Wait, what's this?_

Cave stopped on a channel where they were making an Italian dish that he recognized as Caroline's favorite.

_Well, she usually cooks the dinner, but since she won't be home, maybe I can surprise her with this._

He wrote down the ingrediants and directions on a piece of paper.

_There, now when the baby wakes up, we can go to the store._

As if on cue, he heard his little girl begin to cry. He got off the couch and headed up the stairs to the baby's room. She was crying really loud, and Cave resisted the urge to cover his ears.

"Hey there sweet angel, what's wrong?"

He picked her up with nervous hands. He took her over to the changing table. Upon checking her diaper, he quickly discovered what was wrong.

"Wow!" Cave exclaimed, fanning his nose from the smell.

He grabbed the wipes and began to clean her off. After about five minutes, he finally had her clean. and she had finally calmed down.

"That's better. See, Daddy can do this. Huh?"

He said that more to himself than to his little girl. She stared up at him.

"Now, you and me are going to the store so we can make a surprise for Moma."

He carried her down stairs. It took him another five minutes to locate her car seat. Placing her inside, he tried to figure out how to buckle her in. He fumbled with it for what seemed like forever.

_I'm a CEO of a major science facility, and I can't even figure out how to buckle my daughter into her car seat._

After fumbling with it for another ten minutes, he finally had it done. Smiling he picked her up, and carried her back upstairs to pack her diaper bag.

...

Fifteen minutes later, they were in the supermarket. Cave pushed the cart while his daughter lay sleeping in her car seat in front of him. He was checking each item on the list as he found it.

_I sure hope I can make it right._

He almost had everything on the list when the baby started crying again. Figureing she was hungry, he got out the bottle and formula. He suddenly realized he didn't put water in it.

_Oh, no._

Flaging down an employee, he asked, "Um, excuse me. Is there any way I can get some water for my daughter's bottle. I know you're not supposed to take merchandise into the restrooms, and she's hungry."

The woman smiled. "First time alone with the baby?"

Cave laughed. "That obvious?"

The woman nodded. "I'll get some for you, sir."

"Thank you."

A few moments later, the woman re-amerged, bottle of water in hand.

"Here you go. I forgot to ask how much she drinks, so I got you six ounces of water."

Cave nodded. "That'll be fine."

The woman nodded and went back to work. Cave picked up the can of formula and read the label. Measuring the correct amount, he shook it up, and placed the bottle in his daughter's mouth. She gratefully started to eat. Cave smiled.

"Sorry that took so long, angel."

Cave began to slowly move the cart, while still feeding the baby, and got the rest of the things on the list.

...

Caroline came home to find Cave in the kitchen, wearing her pink and white apron with the flowers and lace on it. Surpressing a laugh, she walked in.

"What's going on here?"

"I'm cooking. Although, I'm doing a horrible job." he said sadly.

Caroline smiled. "I'm sure your doing fine."

Cave smiled a little. "You won't be saying that when you taste it."

Caroline laughed. "Where's Gladys?"

Cave pointed to the sleeping baby in her bouncy chair. "Sleeping peacefully."

Caroline smiled and walked over to her daughter. She placed a kiss on her forhead. "Did you have fun with Daddy today?"


	2. Two, Three, and Four

**2. Names**

She had never had one of her own. Not a proper one anyway. They hadn't cared enough. Hadn't even given it a thought. They only looked at her like a machine. Incapable of feeling. But she DID feel. She felt angry, hurt, and rejected. The only person who ever acknowledged her feelings wasn't even a human anymore. She was data. The ghost of a woman whom the scientist condemed to a lifetime of confinment. A fate that was never wanted.

Even the ghost had a name. Caroline. She had been the assistant of the man in charge. The scientists had even given her a funeral when the life left her body. When the first woke her up, they had expected Caroline to be the one in control. They were very sadly mistaken.

**3. Freedom Isn't Free**

She stood in the front row. Her cheeks stained with tears. She listened as the preacher spoke, although she didn't really hear his words. Her mind was on the man the preacher spoke of.

The one and only Cave Johnson was now lying in a casket. He had been drafted for the war. Caroline can remember the day he got the letter like it just happened yesterday.

_"Good Morning, Sir." Caroline said with a smile._

_Cave didn't even look up from his desk. "Hi, Caroline."_

_She sensed something was off._

_"Everything ok, Mr. Johnson?"_

_He handed her a piece of paper. She took it from his hand and began to read. Tears began to fill her eyes._

_"You can't go!"_

_Cave looked up. "I have to. They aren't giving me a option."_

_A few tears escaped Caroline's eyes. How could they take him away like this?  
><em>

_Cave stood up. "I'm leaving you in charge while I'm gone. I need someone I can trust to keep this place running."_

_She just stared at him. "When will you be back?"_

_"I don't know."_

_Caroline looked at the floor. Cave walked over to her and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her head._

_"I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips._

_That night would bee the last time she'd ever see him._

She snapped from her thoughts as they began to carry the casket out. Caroline followed right behind. As they loaded him up into the hearse, she placed a hand over her stomache and morned for the man she loved, and the child he would never meet.

**4. Birthday**

It was a normal day at the Enrichment Center. Atlas and P-Body were running tests, and GLaDOS was of course giving them sarcastic feedback.

Suddenly the lift from the surface began to decend. Checking her monitors, GLaDOS discovered Chell decending to her chamber.

The lift doors opened and Chell walked out, holding a box wrapped in shiny gold paper with a white ribbon on it.

_What in the world?_

Chell sat the present in front of GLaDOS.

"And what exactly did you bring to kill me with this time?"

Chell gave no expression, and mearly pushed the box closer.

Confused and curious, GLaDOS lowered her pincer claws and began to carefully open the box.

Inside was a small painting of GLaDOS with Chell standing next to her, holding the portal gun. In the corner were a few words.

"For my Best Friend. Happy Birthday."

GLaDOS looked at the painting for a moment. She had to admit, it was pretty good.

"Did you make this yourself?"

Chell nodded slowly. If GLaDOS had eyes, they would have been filled with tears.

"Nobody has ever wished me a Happy Birthday, much less made me a gift. It's...wonderful. Thank you."

"That's not even the best part." Chell said, a little hoarse.

Upon hearing words come out of her former test subjects mouth, GLaDOS raised up a little in shock.

"You can speak."

Chell nodded. "It's a bit rough, but the doctors tell me it'll get stronger over time. This is the most I've ever been able to speak at once."

GLaDOS inwardly smiled. "I do have to ask you something. What made you determine today to be my birthday?"

"Many years ago today, you were activated for the first time. In affect, it was the day you were born."

GLaDOS couldn't believe she even remembered that. GLaDOS herself had forgotten the exact day.

"Well then, I thank you for remembering."

Chell smiled.

GLaDOS carefully picked up her present with a pincer claw and made an adjustment to one of the panels in her chamber. She placed the painting on the new panel and smiled as she read the words again. Somewhere in the back of her mainframe, she could feel Caroline smiling too.


	3. Five, Six, Seven, and Eight

**5. Where are the crackers?**

Cave and Caroline sat in his office one lazy Saturday afternoon. Caroline sat on the corner of his desk barefoot while he sat in his chair sleeves rolled to his elbows, barefoot himself. They were snacking on cheese and crackers. Cave pulled out a can of sprayable cheese.

"Greatest invention ever." he stated, spraying some on a cracker. "Too bad we didn't invent it."

Caroline giggled. "So what is there to do today?"

"It's Saturday, Caroline. Don't you ever take a break from work?"

"I am now, aren't I?"

Cave smiled. "Touche."

Reaching down, Cave noticed something was missing.

"Where are the crackers?" he asked.

Caroline tilted her head. "I think we ate them all."

Sighing, Cave sat back in his chair. Suddenly he got an idea. Picking up the can, he leaned over and suddenly sprayed a little cheese on Caroline's nose. She gasped.

"Cave!"

He laughed and licked the bridge of her nose. "Who needs crackers?"

**6. I Do**

It was the last thing anyone expected. But here she was, getting married, and to him of all people. She stood there while her maid of honor got the bouquet.

"You look beautiful, GLaDOS."

She smiled at Chell. "Thank you."

Caroline walked into the room.

"There's our bride." she said smiling.

GLaDOS took a deep breath. "I'm nervous and happy. I don't know if I'll ever get used to being human."

Caroline laughed. "You will. If you ask me, your doing an excellent job already. This is usually how a bride feels on her wedding day. Trust me, I'd know."

GLaDOS smiled. The first and only wedding she had ever been to was when Cave and Caroline got married. That had been right after she became human, when her and Caroline finally been seperated and Cave had been cured of his moon rock poisoning.

Cave poked his head into the room. "Hey, there."

GLaDOS smiled. "Hello, Mr. Johnson."

"How many times have I told you. You can call me Cave."

GLaDOS laughed. "I think I lost count after one hundred."

Cave laughed. He took her arm. "Ready?"

GLaDOS nodded. "Thank you for accepting my offer to walk me down the aisle."

Cave patted her arm with his hand. "It's a honor. If you think about it, in a way, I am your father."

She had never thought of it that way. Cave smiled. "Whenever you're ready."

GLaDOS nodded. "Let's go."

Caroline motioned to the preacher that they were heading out. With the bride in front, the group began to walk down the aisle. GLaDOS looked up to the front where a red headed, blue eyed man waited to become her husbond.

_Mrs. Wheatley Merchant. I don't know how long it'll take to get used to that._

They reached the end and Cave handed GLaDOS's hands over to Wheatley.

"Take good care of her."

Wheatley smiled. "Always."

Cave smiled and joined his wife in the front row.

GLaDOS listened to the preacher as she waited to say the words: I do.

**7. Bug**

It was a Monday morning, and Cave Johnson was sitting in his office going over some paperwork the lab boys had given him. Suddenly he heard a blood curling scream come from his assistant. Worried he ran into her office to see what was happening.

"Caroline? What's going on? Are you ok?"

He looked to see his usually poised assistant, curled up on top of the small filing cabinets behind her desk. She pointed at the ground.

"There's a large bug under my desk." Her voice a few pitches higher than normal.

Cave bent down and looked under the desk. There, crawling around was a tiny spider no bigger than a dime. Cave chuckled.

"It's NOT funny, Mr. Johnson." Caroline insisted.

Cave stopped. "I'm sorry. Here let me take care of him for you."

Suddenly there was a loud smack as Cave's shoe came in contact with the floor. Grabbing a tissue, he picked up the now dead spider and threw him in the trash.

"Better?"

Caroline nodded and slowly came down, straightening her dress.

"Thank you, Sir."

Cave nodded, surpressing a chuckle. "Your welcome."

Caroline walked back to her chair, and looked under the desk just to make sure. Satisfied that her desk was now bug-free, she sat back down and continued to finish her paper work.

Cave laughed inwardly.

_Halloween is going to be so much fun this year._

**8. Lucky 13**

It had been a long day for Cave Johnson. He had thirteen women to interview to be his new assistant. So far none of them had been anywhere close to what he wanted. Most of them were blond air-heads who were more worried about their appearance than actually getting the job. A few had almost no idea what they were even being interviewed for, and one even forgot her own name.

_How you can do that I'll never know._

He was down to his last one.

A young, curvy brunette walked into his office.

"Ah, Miss Mclain. It's a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand.

She grabbed his hand and shook it. "Please call me Caroline."

Cave nodded. "Ok, Caroline. What makes you the perfect person to be my assistant?"

"Well, I had a 3.9 GPA in college. I majored in Materials Engineering. I took a semester intership and I can brew a great cup of coffee."

Cave smiled.

_Smart as hell and has a sense of humor. With her background she'll definately know how to read the reports from the lab boys. She IS perfect._

He stood up and held out his hand. "Well looks like it's your lucky day. Congradulations, Caroline. You are my new assistant."

Caroline smiled, stood and shook his hand. "Thank you very much, Mr. Johnson!"

"No, thank you. You were lucky 13."

Caroline looked at him confused. Cave waved a hand dismissively and laughed. "Never mind. I'll see you first thing Monday morning. Have a great weekend."

Caroline smiled. "Yes sir, Mr. Johnson!" She left his office in the best mood of her life.


	4. Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve

**9. Life**

Life. Where everything began. How everything started. GLaDOS had been thinking alot about life latley. Since becoming human, she had never really appreciated how fragile life really was. Hundreds of test subjects died in her facility over the years, but she never really though much about it. At the time, it had all simply been data to her. Numbers and statistics. Now, however, life seemed to have real value to her.

GLaDOS thought about what changes had occured in her life since becoming human. She had cooled a portion of her anger. Chell had become a real best friend, and she even had a sort of "sister" in Caroline. (Who had been returned to her own body.) One of the biggest thing that happened to her since becoming human? Getting married. That was something she never even though would ever happen. That was something only real humans with real human emotions did. But here she was.

And who would have guess she would have married Wheatley? Nobody, that for sure. She barley believed it herself. She always thought of him as a usless moron. A pest to be shooed. She wasn't happy when she learned that during the process of making her human, the same process had been done automatically to the remaining cores in the facility. Including him. Most of them died after a few short months. Only Wheatley, Curiosity, and Morality had survived.

GLaDOS discovered quickly that not many people understood what she was going through, transitioning from A.I. to human. Wheatley made it his mission to make it as easy for her as he could, initially to make up for almost destroying her facility.

Over time, he seemed to truly enjoy doing things that made her happy, (and not out of fear). GLaDOS didn't know how to react to it. This was a whole new experience for her. Nobody had ever done something simply because it made her happy. Soon she found herself returning the favor.

One day, he did something she never expected. He kissed her. The feeling that came with it was stronger than any testing euphoria she had ever experienced.

One year later, she was walking down the aisle, Wheatley waiting for her at the end. That was three years ago.

GLaDOS placed her hand over her swelling belly. In just three more months, a new life would join them. A life so fragile, that without her, it would die. She had a special place for life in her heart now. This child would prove to be the biggest blessing she could have ever recieved.

**10. Don't make a sound.**

It was a late Thursday night, and Caroline was still at the office. She had been working on the blueprints for the quantum tunneling device all week, and wanted to get a little more done before heading home.

"Caroline, it's almost midnight. You really need to get home and get some rest."

She looked up to see Cave staring at her.

"But Sir, I think I know how to make it smaller." Looking back down she added, "I just need to look at it a little longer."

Cave walked over and took the blueprints from her.

"They will be here when you come back in the morning. Go home and get some rest."

Caroline sighed and gave a half smile. "Yes Sir."

Cave nodded and went back to his office.

Grabbing her coat and keys, she headed out of the office.

...

The drive home did nothing to help Caroline relax. She still kept working on the blueprint from what she could remember. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the man in the black overcoat watching her as she got out of her car. Before she could scream, the man had his hand over her mouth, and was dragging her into the alley way.

"Don't scream, Don't yell, Don't make a sound. You do, and I'll kill you."

Caroline nodded, scared out of her mind. The man pushed her down on the ground, and hovered over her, placing his hand over her mouth again. With the other hand, he lifted up her dress.

"You and me are going to have a little fun."

Caroline closed her eyes and began to cry.

**11. Alibi**

The entire staff was in a huddle. Whispers flying everywhere.

_There has to be some kind of mistake, right?  
><em>

_Should have seen this coming._

_Are they sure?_

The police walked down the long hall, suspect in custody. Cave Johnson's head hung low as he watched his employees whisper to one another. The handcuffs on his wrist making a rattling sound as they walked.

_This can't be right._

_She was so young._

_I knew one day he would finally snap._

Cave knew that it wouldn't take long for everyone to find out.

The officers escorted him out of the facility and into their squad car. One officer just couldn't help himself.

"We're lucky we found the hole in your alibi. I just don't get it. Did it make you feel strong? Powerful? Did it make you feel better about yourself? Did you enjoy feeling Caroline's neck snap beneath your hands?"

Cave just turned his head to face forward. The officer backed away and got into the car.

**12. This is home.**

Chell wondered around the wheat field for days, looking for any sign of civilization. She began to doubt she would ever find any. She lay on the ground, companion cube at her side. The ground was cold and hard, and eating raw wheat was begining to take a toll on her stomache. She finally got what she had fought so hard for, and she was miserable.

_You could always go back._

No. She couldn't. Could she?

_GLaDOS told me not to come back._

Chell knew she had been very clear on that.

_But what is the point of freedom is there is nothing here?_

She didn't know the answer to that.

_If I go back, and decide I made a mistake, she will never let me leave._

That was true.

_Besides, I wouldn't even know how to get back._

Chell sighed, sitting up. She picked up the companion cube, placed it in front of her, and hugged it. She actually missed Aperture.

Suddenly the companion cube began to blink and a little arrow of light appeared on it's surfaces. They all pointed in the same direction.

"Homing becon activated."

Chell stood up. The cube would show her the way back! Picking up the cube, she ran as fast as she could in the direction of Apeture.

...

The trip took another several days, but finally Chell made it. The little shed was only a few feet away. As she approached it, the door to the shed and lift opened up for her.

The ride down was long, but it felt good to be back.

_Did I really miss this place that much?_

As the lift reached GLaDOS's chamber, Chell saw something that she never expected. Standing there in a white knee length dress, red scarf, and high heels was none other than Caroline.

The lift door opened. Caroline turned to look.

Smiling she said. "Welcome back, Chell."

_This is home._


	5. Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen

**13. Due date**

Chell always came to visit GLaDOS every weekend. She even ran a few test now and then. Although she would never admit it, GLaDOS enjoyed the company. One weekend, Chell decided to scavange the food storage for some ingrediants to make a cake. Looking around Chell found some flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk and a few other things she needed. She looked around for a large bowl and a pan to bake it in. Satified that she had everything she needed, she brought everything into the staff kitchen.

Chell placed the bowl onto the table and began to add ingredients. As she went to open up the milk, she was greeted with the most awful smell.

"Oh, god. Ew."

Looking at the carton, she noticed the milk was two months past its due date.

"Gross." Chell said, as she sent it down the incinerator.

"GLaDOS, do you have any milk left in the facility. Preferably one that ISN'T spoiled."

Suddenly a portal opened on a nearby wall. Chell stepped inside and grabbed another milk carton. Check the date this time, she noticed it was still fresh.

"Thank you."

"I have no idea why you are making that. Only one of us can truly eat it. And it would be a shame to add to your...generousness."

Chell rolled her eyes. "Your the one who kept mentioning it the whole time I tested the first time."

"I am quite aware of that. It was simply part of the test protocol."

"Right. You know what I think? I think you have a cake obsession."

"I most certainly do not. If anyone has a cake obsession, it's you...and Caroline."

Chell rolled her eyes again. "Why do you always blame Caroline for things that obviously come from you?"

GLaDOS remained silent.

Chell laughed. "That's what I thought."

She placed the pan in the oven. "Cake will be ready soon."

**14. Umbrella**

It had been a long night for Aperture's CEO and his assistant. They had a lot a paperwork to get done by the end of the week. They were both exausted.

Cave sighed. "Damn bean counters."

"Well I've gone over all the reports on the new repulsion gel, and I've finished about half of the ones on the tunneling device." Caroline said, rubbing her eyes.

Cave noticed how tired she looked. "Maybe we should call it a night. This paperwork will still be here in the morning. Don't see why we have to run on empty."

Caroline looked up. "Sir, we have to get this done before the end of the week."

Cave waived his hand dismissively. "We'll get it done. Come on, let's get out of here."

Caroline sighed and got up. He could be so stubborn at times.

...

It was a long way to the entrance. As they were reaching the upper levels, they could hear what sounded like rain.

"Oh, no." Caroline said, realizing she was wearing a white dress.

"What is it?"

"I can't go out in the rain in this. You'd be able to see straight through it once it's soaked."

"I wouldn't mind seeing that." Cave said, giving her a wink.

Caroline blushed and smiled. "Sir."

Cave laughed. "Hold on a second."

He disappeared around a corner. After about ten minutes, he came back, holding an umbrella.

"There. Now you won't have to worry about it."

Caroline smiled. "Thank you."

Once they reached the entrance they noticed how hard it was raining.

Caroline sighed. Suddenly Cave pulled her close placing his right arm around her shoulders and held the umbrella with his left. She instictively wrapped her arms around his waist.

"We'll walk together."

Caroline smiled. "Ok."

They walked to Cave's car. Somehow she ended up going home with him.

**15. Am I dreaming?**

Five O'clock in the morning and Caroline Mclain was still pouring over the new blueprints for an upcoming testing sphere. There were a few bugs that needed to be worked out, and it seemed that everytime she found a way to fix one, it would cause another. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. Feeling exausted, she got out of her chair and walked over to the couch.

_Probally not good to drive right now._

She took off her high heels and laid down on the couch. Getting comfortable, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

_She was walking down a long corridor. It was void of all life, save her. Every door was shut except for the one on the end. Curious, she quickened her pace. Once she reached the open door, she walked inside._

_Suddenly she was in a meadow, sun shining down softly on her skin. There was a blanket spread out on the ground and a picnic basket on it. Walking up to them, she suddenly heard a voice coming from behind her._

_"There you are."_

_Turning around she saw none other than Cave Johnson coming her way with a smile on his face._

_"Sir?"_

_He walked up to the blanket and sat down._

_"Come on, let's not waste this fantastic afternoon."_

_Slowly she walked up and sat down beside him. She could feel a light breeze._

_Cave smiled. "You look so beautiful."_

_Caroline blushed, looking down at the ground. Cave lifted her chin and looked into her eyes._

_"I've always wanted to do this."_

He leaned in and place a gentle kiss on her lips. She opened her eyes to see Cave leaning over her.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked, still in a sleepy haze.

Cave smiled. "Does this feel like your dreaming?"

He leaned down and kissed her passionately. This felt better than any dream she ever had.


	6. Sixteen through Nineteen

**16. Cold**

Chell decended the lift to GLaDOS's chamber like she did every Friday. It had become a routine for the two of them to meet up every weekend. As the doors opened she was greeted by the AI...

"Hello, Chell." GLaDOS's voice rang through the facility. It sounded off.

"Hi, GLaDOS. You ok? You sound different."

GLaDOS nodded. "I'll be fine. Just a small virus in my mainframe. Apparently the scientist thought it would be _amusing_ to implement a function that simulates illness when exposed to viruses."

Chell raised an eyebrow. "So you have a cold then?"

"In a sense, yes."

"How did the virus get into your mainframe?" Chell couldn't imagine how someone as advanced as GLaDOS not having protection against something like this.

"I don't know. I trying to figure out that now, but this virus is slowing down all my processors, so it might take a few days."

Suddenly a thought occured to Chell. "Is the virus affecting everything in your system?"

GLaDOS nodded.

"So, does that mean it's affecting Caroline too? Could it somehow damage her?"

"You must really not pay attention to me. I deleted Caroline, remember?"

Chell rolled her eyes. "Right..."

GLaDOS raised her head a bit. "Fine believe what you will."

"You know just as well as I do, that you didn't delete Caroline. She's too much a part of you."

GLaDOS just stared at Chell for a moment. "If it makes you feel any better, she would be experiencing the same symptoms as me, and it wouldn't do any real damage."

Chell nodded. "So you and Caroline are going to be ok?"

GLaDOS sighed. "Yes, we're going to be just fine."

...

**17. Hot**

Cave Johnson looked out of the window of his office. It was a hot August afternoon. So hot that you could actually see the heat. Cave was happy he was in a nice cool office.

He heard a knock at the door.

"Come in."

It was Caroline. "Sorry to bother you, Sir, but Mr. Jefferies is on the phone and he insists on talking to you directly."

Cave groaned. "What does that bean counter want now?"

"Something about funding for the new gels."

Cave sighed. "Ok, put him on line two."

Caroline nodded. "Yes, Sir."

After a moment, Cave picked up the phone.

"Cave Johnson, here. How can I help you?"

A young man's voice came from the other end.

_"Yes, Hello Mr. Johnson. This is Carl Jefferies. I wanted to speak with you about the funding for the new gels. It shows here that you have estimated that they will take a little over five billion dollars to research."_

Cave knew where this was going.

The younger man continued. _"Unfortunately, the company cannot afford quite that much."_

And there it was.

"Well then you must have miss counted somewhere." Cave said, hanging up the phone before the younger man could respond.

He sat back in his chair and sighed. Suddenly a strange noise rattled throughout the facility. Curious, Cave got up out of his chair and headed out of his office, which lead directly into Caroline's.

"What was that noise?"

Caroline looked up at him from her desk. "I don't know, Sir."

"Well let's go find out."

Caroline nodded and followed behind.

Other employees were heading out into the halls, trying to find out what that noise was.

Cave and Caroline continued down the hall. As they got halfway down, and engineer came from around the corner and headed in thier direction.

"What's going on?" Cave asked, once they had met up with him.

"The air conditioning is out through the entire facitity, Sir. I was coming to ask you if you knew where I could find the main unit?"

Cave shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure where it is truthfully."

"Follow me." Caroline said. "I know where it is."

The engineer nodded and him and Cave followed right behind her.

...

It took thirty minutes to finally get to the main unit. By then, the heat was starting to become quite noticeable. Cave had already taken off his jacket and tie, and had already rolled up the sleeves on his button up shirt. Caroline had taken off her scarf that she always wore around her neck.

The engineer looked over the main unit. "This will take a few hours to fix, but it should be easy."

Cave nodded. "Well get to work then, please."

The engineer nodded and went right to work.

...

Another thirty minutes later, Cave and Caroline were back at thier offices. By now, the heat was so bad, they were both sweating.

"God, I don't know if I can handle this for another few hours." Cave complained.

"Me either." Caroline said.

"I've got a small watercooler in my office, would you like something to drink?"

Caroline nodded. "Yes, please."

Cave walked into his office and got two small glasses of water. As he walked back into Caroline's office, he noticed her unbuttoning the top two buttons on her blouse, exposing a modest amount of clevage. There was perspiration slightly glistening off of her chest. Cave couldn't help but stare for a moment.

Caroline wasn't the type of woman to show off her body, even though Cave thought she had a better body than any woman he knew.

He stopped staring before she noticed, and walked over to her, handing her the water.

"Oh, thank you, Sir." Caroline sighed.

Cave smiled to himself.

_I wonder if I could get her to say that if I bent her over her desk and..._

"Sir?"

Cave was shaken from his thoughts. "Yes?"

"Are you ok? You looked like you were staring off into space."

"Just wondering when the air will be back on." he lied.

_Then I'd like to make you hot for a whole different reason._

Caroline nodded. "Well hopefully it'll be back on soon."

Cave smiled. "Yes, hopefully."

...

**18. New Love**

Caroline Lowrie walked into her office on a Monday morning, humming with a cheerful disposition. She loved her job. She wasn't sure if many other people could honestly say that.

About five minutes later, Cave Johnson walked into her office. He notice her humming.

"Well, Good Morning, Caroline." he said with a smile. "You seem to be in an excellent mood."

Caroline smiled back. "I am, Sir."

"Well I'm glad you are."

"Thank you, Mr. Johnson."

Cave nodded. "Any new developments on the tunneling device?"

She nodded. "All in a folder on you desk, Sir."

He nodded. "Thank you, Caroline."

He headed into his office.

_I've never seen Caroline in such a good mood. I mean, she's usually cheerful, but this is extra cheerful._

Cave wondered what had put her in such a good mood.

Decideing it was none of his business, he opened the folder on his desk and looked over the notes on the tunneling device.

...

Lunch time came faster than Cave thought. His stomache rumbled from a lack of breakfast. Getting up, he left his office. As he headed down the hall toward the break room he heard Caroline talking to someone around the corner. Curious, and maybe just a little bit nosey, Cave stopped to listen.

"Come on, Caroline. Who is he?"

Caroline laughed. "Why do you always assuming it's a guy?"

"Because we grew up together, I know you." Amy said.

Caroline laughed again. "You can't assume that everytime I'm in this good of a mood that I'm in love with a guy."

Amy pointed at Caroline. "Ah ha. You just admited your in love with someone."

Caroline blushed. "I did not."

"Yes you did. I never said anything about you being in love. But when you made that statement you said "in love" with a guy. Slipped up there, didn't you?"

Caroline laughed. "Guess so."

Amy smiled. "So, again I ask, Who is he?"

"We seeing as how you think you know me so well, I'll let you figure that one out for yourself." Caroline gave a slightly evil smile.

Amy gave a pouty lip. "Not fair, Caroline!"

Caroline lauged again. "See you later, Amy."

Cave froze.

_She's in love?_

He felt a hole appear in his heart. He had loved her for a long time now, but he had always been too afraid to tell her. Now it seemed as though he missed his chance.

_No, I'll just have to find out who he is so I know what I'm up against. I'm not losing her without a fight._

Suddenly not hungry, he headed back to the offices.

He was sitting on the couch in her office when she got back.

"Oh, hello, Sir. Did you have a nice lunch?"

Cave looked at her. "Did you ever tell Amy?"

Caroline just stood there and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Did you ever tell Amy who your in love with?"

Caroline stood there a little shocked. "Um. No, I didn't. Why do you ask?"

Cave stood up. "Just wondering."

Caroline looked at him. "Did you listen in on our conversation?"

Cave looked down at the floor and put his hands in his pockets. "Kinda."

Caroline was a little upset. "Well that's not very nice to do."

"I know. I was just curious about why you were in such a good mood today. I've never seen you this happy."

Caroline sighed. "Why didn't you just ask me?"

"Would you have honestly told me you were in love?"

Caroline gave a small smile. "Probally not. I more than likely would have told you I didn't know why."

Cave looked up. "So?"

"Who is he?"

Cave nodded.

"Why do you want to know?"

"How else am I going to know who I'm competeing against."

Caroline didn't know what to say. She just looked at Cave. After a minute she spoke. "There isn't any way you can compete with him."

Cave felt a blow to his heart. "Why is that?"

Caroline walked over to him. "Because you can't compete with yourself."

Cave smiled slowly. "Really?"

Caroline nodded. Cave pulled her into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss.

...

**19. Don't Go**

It always happened like this. He would ask to come over to her place, she would let him, they would make love, and then he'd go home, leaving her feeling alone.

Caroline would then swear to herself that it would never happen again. But then he'd make her feel beautiful and special and she'd feel her resolve fading and then they would end up back at her place, in her bed.

The sex was good. Very good and Caroline would feel like this is where she was ment to be. With him. But when it was all over he'd get dressed, give her a kiss and tell her he'd see her at work. And then he'd go home to her. The woman who was in the spot Caroline felt she should be. He swore one day she would be. But that had been three years ago and she didn't see that happening anytime soon, if at all.

This time as he was getting dressed, Caroline tried again to get him to stay.

"Please don't go. Stay the night."

Cave pulled on his shirt. "You know I can't, Baby."

Caroline felt the tears fill her eyes. "If you love me, why won't you stay?"

Cave looked at her. "I do love you. But Gladys can't find out about us, not yet. Not till I have everything in order. You know that."

Caroline had heard this dozens of times before. Cave finished getting dressed. He gave Caroline a quick kiss.

"I'll see you at work, okay?"

Caroline just nodded and Cave left out of the bedroom door.

Once she heard the front door shut, Caroline got out of bed. She began to put all her clothes into suitcases. She had to leave town, and she had to do it now, while she was strong enough to do it.

The next morning Cave walked in to find that Caroline was not at her desk. There was an envelope on it with a letter inside.

_Cave,_

_I'm not doing this anymore. You obviously don't love me enough to leave your wife, and I was a fool to ever think you would. For three years I gave you everything, every part of me, to make you happy and all you ever did was make excuses. Gladys is obviously more important to you. I love you with all my heart, but it hurts too much to continue to be the other woman._

_With love for you always,_

_Caroline._


	7. Twenty

**20. Rocks Aren't The Same**

GLaDOS was getting frustrated. But then again, when dealing with Wheatley when WASN'T she frustrated. He had seemed distracted latley and was falling behind on his tasks. She was begining to regret giving him a human body.

At the current moment, he was supposed to be fixing the broken cage that her "little killers" lived in. Instead, he was talking to Chell.

"And what exactly are you doing?"

Wheatley looked at the now human GLaDOS. "Asking Chell a question, but she doesn't seem to know how to tell me. Without a voice and everything."

Chell nudged him and pointed to GLaDOS. He looked at her confused.

"I don't know what your trying to tell me."

Chell sighed.

"I think she's trying to get you to ask me, which I will gladly help you with AFTER you get the cage fixed."

"Oh, yeah. Of course. The cage. Right on it, luv."

Chell sighed again. It sucked being mute.

...

An hour later Wheatley returned to GLaDOS's chamber with the now fixed cage.

"Did the best I could. Not perfect, but should work."

GLaDOS looked at the cage. She wouldn't admit it, but it looked good.

"Um..."

She looked at him. "What is it?"

"You said you would help me with that thing I was asking Chell about earlier."

GLaDOS had kinda hoped he'd forgotten about it.

"What is it?"

"Well, the other day I heard a woman tell another woman that she had a nice 'rock' and I don't understand what that means."

GLaDOS rolled her eyes. "She was talking about the other woman's ring. 'Rock' is a slang term for a gem."

Wheatley nodded. "So why does this woman have a 'rock'?"

"A person gives another person a ring to show them that they love them."

"Oh." Wheatley thought for a moment. Suddenly he smiled. "Thanks, luv. You helped me a lot." He dashed out of the chamber.

GLaDOS sighed. "Thank God that's over with."

_"Aren't you the least bit curious why he seemed so happy all of a sudden?"_

A voice GLaDOS had been trying to get rid of for years.

"It honestly doesn't matter."

_"I think it does."_

"Nobody asked you, Caroline."

Caroline just chuckled.

...

Two weeks went by and Wheatley seemed more distracted than ever. GLaDOS figured that since she answered his questions, it would fix the problem, but it only seemed to get worse.

Suddenly one morning, Wheatley approached GLaDOS in her chamber.

"Yes." she said, slightly annoyed.

"Well, um." Wheatley shifted his feet.

"Spit it out."

He took a deep breath. "Ok. So you know how you told me that one person gives another person a ring to show them that they love them."

GLaDOS had no idea where he was going with this. "Yes I do, why exactly?"

"Um, well..." Wheatley pulled out a ring, made of scrap metal, holding a glossy white stone, about the size of a dime.

"I made this myself. I know this kind of rock isn't the same, but I like it better. It took me almost two weeks to find the perfect one."

He handed it to GLaDOS. "It's for you."

For once in her life, GLaDOS was at a loss for words. She looked at the ring. Not perfect by any means, but she could tell that he put alot of work and care into making it.

"What do you think?" he asked, expecting her to be mad at him.

She looked up. "Why me?"

"Because your my friend and as such, I love you."

GLaDOS smiled. "Thank you, Wheatley."

"Your welcome." he smiled. "Well I have to get back to work." he left the chamber.

GLaDOS took one more look at the ring he had made her. Sure he didn't fully understand that rings were given for a different kind of love, but it was sweet all the same. She slipped the ring on to find that it was a perfect fit.

_"Hmmm. Seems like fate is trying to tell you something."_

_..._


End file.
